Improving Your Oil-Based Pomade Formula

You've encountered common challenges with oil-based pomades: achieving the right balance of hold and texture without excessive greasiness or separation. Let's look at your current formula and how to adjust it to be less greasy and have higher hold.

Your current formula includes:

• Beeswax (15%)
• Paraffin Wax (4.6%)
• Fractionated Coconut Oil (46.5%)
• Caster oil (17.5%)
• Dimethicone (4.8%)
• Ceteareth-25 (Paste Maker) (11.6%)

Analysis of your current formula:

• Greasy feel: The high percentage of liquid oils (Fractionated Coconut Oil and Caster Oil, totaling 64%) is the primary reason for the greasy feel and shiny finish. To reduce greasiness, you will need to significantly decrease the amount of these liquid oils.
• Hard texture: The combination of Beeswax and Paraffin Wax contributes to the hardness. You mentioned Butter Cream Maker at 3% was too hard, which indicates your formula is already quite structured by waxes/thickeners.
• Separation: Separation can occur in oil-heavy formulas, especially if the emulsification system isn't robust or suitable for the oil load. Ceteareth-25 is an O/W emulsifier, which is typically used to emulsify oil into water. Using a high amount (11.6%) in an oil-dominant system might contribute to instability or unusual texture.
• Low hold: While waxes provide some hold, the high proportion of liquid oils can plasticize the wax matrix, reducing its ability to provide strong hold.

Recommendations for adjustment:

To achieve a less greasy texture and higher hold, consider the following modifications:

1. Reduce Liquid Oils: The most crucial step to reduce greasiness is to lower the percentage of Fractionated Coconut Oil and Caster Oil. You might aim for a total liquid oil content closer to 30-40% initially and adjust from there.
2. Adjust Waxes and Add Structure:
   • Maintain or slightly adjust the Beeswax and Paraffin Wax levels.
   • Consider adding Hydrogenated Castor Oil. This is a hard wax with a high melting point (86C) that can significantly increase the hardness and hold of your pomade. It also helps create a more stable structure, which can reduce oil separation. You can replace some of the other waxes or oils with Hydrogenated Castor Oil. Start with a small percentage (e.g., 2-5%) and increase as needed to achieve the desired hold and texture.
3. Re-evaluate Ceteareth-25: The high percentage of Ceteareth-25 seems unusual for an oil-based pomade and might be contributing to texture and separation issues. Consider if this ingredient is necessary or if a lower amount or a different type of structurant would be more suitable for an oil-dominant system.
4. Hair Styling Polymers (Easy Hair Styler / Strong Hair Styler): You asked about adding Easy Hair Styler or Strong Hair Styler. These are water-soluble polymers designed to provide hold by forming a film on the hair. Incorporating them effectively into a predominantly oil-based product is challenging, as they do not readily dissolve in oil. While they provide excellent hold in water-based or hydro-alcoholic products, they are unlikely to provide significant hold or integrate well into your oil-based pomade. For high hold in an oil base, focusing on the wax and oil balance, and potentially incorporating oil-soluble resins (if available and suitable), is generally more effective than adding water-soluble polymers.

Summary of suggested changes:

• Significantly decrease the percentage of Fractionated Coconut Oil and Caster Oil.
• Consider adding Hydrogenated Castor Oil to increase hold and improve stability.
• Review the role and percentage of Ceteareth-25 in your oil-based formula.
• Note that water-soluble styling polymers like Easy Hair Styler and Strong Hair Styler are not ideal for adding hold to a purely oil-based pomade.

By reducing the liquid oils and adjusting the wax content, particularly by incorporating Hydrogenated Castor Oil, you can create a pomade that is less greasy, has better structure, and provides higher hold.